Zanu-PF MP wants incentives for large families to promote population growth

MASHONALAND West Senator, Mike Byton Musaka (Zanu PF) moved a motion calling on government to incentivise couples with a minimum of eight children, as part of efforts to grow the country's population.

Musaka said his motion, which is already on the Senate's Order Paper, seeks to promote population growth and increase demand for consumer goods, thereby, attracting foreign investors, who believe that a huge population guarantees a ready market for their products .

Seconder of the motion, Tabeth Murwira (Mashonaland East Zanu PF), claimed that Zimbabwe's low population was driving away potential investors.

Part of the motion reads: "Concerned with difficulties to attract investors to Zimbabwe for sustainable profitable investment due to Zimbabwe's low population, and further concerned that most non-governmental organisations diligently promote birth control downwards instead of encouraging family planning for pro-life, that is population growth, current world trends in population are to encourage large families so as to grow the market for products.

"The government must encourage large families by giving incentives to families to have a minimum of eight children, and non-governmental organisations promoting birth control should now be requested to promote family growth."

Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede recently stirred a hornet's nest when he advocated for non-use of contraceptives, saying modern birth control measures were a Western conspiracy to curtail the growth of developing countries' populations.